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Need tips on writing a war story



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Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:55 pm
Scottylaa says...



So im writing a story about war for my friend and I plan on posting it here chapter by chapter and just need some help on how to write it a little because im not very good at writing so this is just a piece to help me get started and take all the pointers I get from it into another piece. The story is going to concentrate around a soldier in WW2 who has very low confidence in his abilities and is often a burden on the team. He is the below average type of soldier who is lucky to get far in the war and the big end I plan is for him to have his big moment where the squad he is with has to rely on him or he is by himself in a slowly degrading squad then at the end he has to do something important and so on. Any tips and advice is going to go a long way.
  





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Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:48 pm
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Rosendorn says...



This will probably be useful to you.

Writing war stories based in historical events tend to be akin to regular historical novels. You'll pick a company, see what battles they fought in, and move them around based on where they were moved.

Do research into WWII and see how the war moved along. What companies could be good fits. How they worked as a team. You'll need to do a lot of research because historical novels demand a lot of research. Thankfully for you, WWII is a very well documented war. Start big and work your way to the narrow.

You might have to detach yourself from some elements because they simply do not work in a real war setting. This is a process of research; it tells you how things actually were, and sometimes that is much different from your imagination.

Good luck.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:59 pm
Scottylaa says...



Thanks for the advice. I didnt realise how much work I would have to put in to this story. I might have to change genre for my first piece to make it a bit easier but I will give it my best shot. Thanks again.
  





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Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:58 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Don't worry about the first piece being "too hard" because you're a beginner.

You get better by taking on the hard pieces. You will learn as you go, learn as you research, rewrite, edit, revise, get feedback, self edit, get beta readers, read writing advice, try it on, throw it out, review others yourself, use YWS.

All artists start somewhere. Those who put off those big projects because they're too difficult will find those big projects are forever out of their grasp. The reason they'll always be out of their grasp is because you learn how to do big projects by doing big projects.

You will never be ready to do that big project. Once all that work has been done and the story is "finished", then you will be ready. You will proceed to move onto the next story, and find that there are learning curves for that one, as well, and you'll have to start all over again.

Do not back away from a project because it's "too big". All stories are too big.

Authors are the ones who grow into them.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Fri Aug 15, 2014 6:03 am
beans says...



One thing is make sure you really take into account how horrible war really is. Even if you survive, you're likely to never be the same person.
  








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